This is the class blog for Eng 1102 at GA Tech called "Fiction, Human Rights, and Social Responsibility." The purpose of this blog is to extend our discussion beyond the classroom and to become aware of human rights issues that exist in the world today and how technology has played a role in either solving or aggravating them. Blogs will be a paragraph long (250 words) and students will contribute once every three weeks according to class number. Entries must be posted by Friday midnight.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Urging a Paradigm Shift in International Diplomacy

The United Nations Security Council has long urged all nations to speak out against Syria and its perverse use of unethical weapons, its staunch opposition to receiving humanitarian aid, and its war crimes in general. Now, more than ever, as a result of Syria's use of chemical weapons, the UN Security Council has the perfect platform from which to launch a new effort to indefinitely sever Syria's ties to weapon providers and the like. More or less, the Security Council urges international superpowers such as the United States and Russia to adopt new policies that more actively oppose Syria. Currently, the United States holds a position of opposition, but there is no active effort to put an end to Syria's inhumane policies. Moreover, in Russia, current plocy allows for the distribution of weapons directly to Syria. There are many reasons to believe that both the United States and Russia should both adopt new stances against Syria. Obviously, human rights should not be limited to first-world countries, but rather should be valid on all corners of the Earth. To ensure that all humans are treated equally and in an ethical manner, we must provide at least some level support to the UN Security Council. The question, then, is how much to show. Involving ourselves in another war would be a mistake. There are peaceful ways to urge Syria to be more ethical in all that it does. First, we must put an end to Russia's arms trade with Syria. Then, it is just a matter of time before we create a new paradigm in international diplomacy all over the world. With this new paradigm, we must hope, violent acts against humanity such as those in Syria would be deemed unnecessary. This new outlook would, with any luck, pave the way for a path towards world peace.-Zach Steinfeld